Time and Again
by KittyShampoo
Summary: AU. RA. Akane dies in Ranma's arms and in complete despair he wishes for another chance. He gets his wish, but there's a catch.. in fact there are a LOT of catches. Finally updated! Chapter 2's up.
1. Prologue

A/N: Just one thing to say! Well I know this idea has been used many times by many authors, but I'd really like to take a shot at it too. I have many weird and wonderful (I hope) plans for this story, so please give it a chance! Thanks! ^_^ Oh! Actually two things... this is set a while _after_ volume 38, just to let ya know.

**_Time and Again_**

_Prologue_

He really hadn't suspected that things would go so horribly wrong. In his mind, it was like every other time that this had happened. And it had become a regular occurrence lately, so he had no reason to believe that this time things wouldn't be so easy. The ever-confident boy that he was, he'd taken his responsibility lightly, with a pinch of salt like he always did. If he had known that it'd cost his fiancé's life, he wouldn't have been quite so carefree.

That morning he woke up slowly and of his own accord, which was very peculiar, since he was usually awoke rudely by a shouting, uncute tomboy who was sometimes armed with a bucket full of cold water. It was nice, but fairly strange to wake up by himself. If it wasn't Akane then it'd be his father, who coincidentally made his presence known right then with a loud, panda-like snore. As he got up sleepily from his futon and headed for the stairs, he idly wondered what time it was and if he was late for school. He really couldn't be bothered to stand in the hall with buckets again.

When he arrived at the table he was shocked to find that only Soun and Kasumi sat there, the latter eating her breakfast and flipping through some magazine while her father read the morning newspaper, sipping at his orange juice. Seeing that they weren't going to notice him any time soon, Ranma cleared his throat.

Kasumi's gaze snapped up at the sudden noise, and her eyes widened as she spotted the cursed martial artist standing in the doorway. "Ranma-kun!" She exclaimed, "What on earth are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at school?"

"Yeah well, I would be if _someone_ had woken me up..." He muttered, slumping down at the table and resting his elbows on it. He wondered if he'd done something lately to anger Akane; nothing immediately sprung to mind... but then again, the tomboy was usually _always_ angry about something, so it was hard to pinpoint a certain reason.

"Oh," Kasumi frowned, an expression that somehow managed to look sweet on her, "That's strange. I assumed you two hadn't come down for breakfast because you had gone into school early for some reason."

"Nah," He sighed, "I dunno about Kane though."

"Akane could still be up there too. Could you go and check on her please, Ranma?" Kasumi asked sweetly in a tone that no one would be able to refuse. So naturally, Ranma had no choice but to accept, even at the risk of facing Akane's wrath for not being woke up earlier. He had to admit that it would be strange if she'd slept in, since she was usually the first up after Kasumi. She was one of those people with a built in alarm clock.

He paused at her door and knocked loudly. Not receiving any response, he knocked again and called out her name. No noise came from his fiancé's room. Ranma sighed and slowly pushed the door open. "All right I'm coming in but it's _your_ fault if you're getting dressed or something..."

He stepped in. The yellow bed cover was left in a mess, looking as if Akane had fought with it to get out of bed this morning. Which she probably had, Ranma mused, recalling Akane's sleeping manners. A gentle breeze blew through her open window, gently ruffling the light curtains and the papers stacked up on her desk. Nothing seemed that out of the ordinary, so she probably had got up early for something at school.

Ranma turned around, pulling the door open fully and preparing to step out. Before he could a sudden gust of wind blew through the window, throwing his pigtail around his face to slap him on the cheek. He spun around, shocked, only to be hit in the face by a small piece of paper. His hands shot up and grabbed it, and then he pulled the little piece of paper out in front of his eyes. A cold chill that was definitely not from the wind ran down his back as he read the words.

_I have your fiancé. If you ever want to see her again then you will come to the address provided. You have 24 hours._

It was a simple note; precise and to the point. Ranma examined the address, his fingers shaking with anger. He wasn't just angry, he was furious. Akane had been kidnapped _again_ and there was no doubt that whoever this freak was, they'd done it just to get to him. Well, they had kidnapped the wrong guy's fiancé. I'm gonna rip em to shreds,' Ranma thought viciously as he roughly folded the small note and shoved it into his trouser pocket. He didn't need 24 hours; he'd pulverise this creep and be straight out of there with Akane within 1.

He made his way back downstairs, pausing to explain the situation to Kasumi and Soun. Kasumi showed her surprise in her usual way; hand over her mouth and a small exclamation of "Oh my!" Soun leapt up from the table and grabbed Ranma in a crushing bear hug, tears streaming from his eyes. "Oh Ranma you must love my daughter so much! What a good fiancé you are!"

If this had happened a year ago, no doubt Soun would have been crying a river of grief and distress that one of his daughters had been kidnapped. But now he knew that Ranma would always look out for his daughter, and knowing that possibly one of the greatest martial artists in the world would protect her took a great deal of the worry from his back. After Ranma was finally able to get out of Soun's death grip (one that put even Shampoo's to shame) he headed out to rescue Akane.

It didn't take him long to reach his destination which happened to be an old, abandoned warehouse; the usual place for these sort of going-ons to take place in. He quickly entered and examined his surroundings. It looked exactly as an abandoned warehouse should. Hazy sunlight filtered through tiny windows, hardly illuminating the extremely large room at all and leaving shadows where anyone or _thing_ could be lurking, ready to pounce. Worn crates were scattered around here and there, and rusty chains hung down low from the very high ceiling.

Ranma continued in deeper, pushing crates and chains from his path whenever they blocked it. He was closer to the other end of the room now and he still had not seen any trace of Akane or her captor. That was until he heard a whimper to his right. He turned quickly and gasped as he saw his fiancé bound and gagged, leant up against a few boxes that had been stacked up on top of each other. "Akane!"

He didn't hesitate in getting to her, ignoring her urgent whimpers as she tried to tell him something with her wide, scared eyes. Leaning over her, he pulled the cloth from her mouth and quickly began working on her binds.

"Ranma- no!" She cried; the panic in her voice could not be mistaken. "You have to get out of here, _please_. This guy isn't normal, he..."

"Shut up!" Ranma snapped, his words having the desired effect immediately. He paused in what he was doing and looked to Akane with seriousness in his eyes. "You idiot. If I didn't come and get you then he'd kill you. You think I'm gonna let that happen?"

"Ranma you don't understand! He's not like anyone else you've ever faced! He's... inhuman," She pleaded. Ranma was shocked to see that tears had formed in her eyes and were threatening to fall any moment now. He had rarely seen her look so stressed not even when he insulted her cooking!

"So you think, say, Pantyhose _wasn't _inhuman?" He asked, hoping to maybe lift her mood a little. As much as was possible when you've been kidnapped and tied up in some dark warehouse, that is.

"I'm being serious!" She cried, the tears breaking free of her eyes and falling down her cheeks, leaving a moist trail in their path. 

If there was one thing that Ranma hated to see, even more than c-cats... it was seeing a girl cry, especially this girl. He paused, lifting one hand to her cheek and gently caressing it with his thumb. His gaze locked with hers, and he willed all of his determination and confidence into that one look; the intensity of which caused Akane to gasp. "Don't worry," He said softly, "I'm gonna beat this guy and get you out of here safely, all right?" She nodded slowly and Ranma rewarded her with a gentle smile, which suddenly faded as a thought crossed his mind. "Er- where is this guy anyway?"

"Right behind you."

Ranma jumped, startled at the sudden intrusion of the deep, rough voice. His hand dropping from Akane's face, he spun around and faced its owner. A gasp escaped his throat as he examined this man', and he used the term _very_ lightly.

He stood at around 6ft tall, a long and skinny figure clad in a trench coat that was tied so tight that it almost looked like a second skin to him. His hair was jet black, long and straggly and falling in front of his extremely pale face, in which sat two beady black eyes. A smirk touched his small lips, stretching his skin against his thin face, giving it the appearance more of a grinning skull than a man.

Ranma had to blink to make sure he wasn't seeing things. He suddenly understood what Akane had meant by inhuman' because this man certainly looked the part. Nevertheless, he jumped up and placed himself firmly in front of Akane, staring levelly at his opponent.

"Ranma Saotome, the man of many legends..." The man began, the smirk still intact on his bony face. "I am going to be the one to destroy you."

"Enough with the chit-chat," Ranma said, "Let's just get down to business, right?"

"As you wish, Ranma Saotome," He replied quietly, bowing down towards him and wrapping his arms around his midsection. Ranma stared at this curiously, wondering just what the heck this guy was up to. He didn't have to wonder for very long.

In one swift movement he tore the tightly fastened belts from his coat and threw his arms up into the air. The fabric ripped and out shot an extra two arms, only these arms were abnormally long and progressed into large, menacing blades where the lower arms should have been. He fell forward slightly, digging the long blades into the floor and leaning on them. This was no man... it was some kind of monster.

"Ranma..." Akane whispered softly, worry clear in her voice.

Ranma turned to her, flashing his patented cocky grin. "It's all right. Those blades are no different from when Mousse uses blades like that, right?"

A growl escaped its throat as it leapt towards Ranma, blades at the ready.

Ranma realised he'd been wrong, very wrong indeed. While Mousse's blades were held, these were an extension of this beast's body. The blows weren't as predictable as they were supposed to be when fighting an opponent using weapons, and the creature's reaction time was much faster. Ranma already had quite a few cuts over his body, including a very nasty gash on his right shoulder. He had realised it was too risky to try and punch or kick his opponent in case he might lose a limb, so he was going to have to use ki attacks. The only drawback with ki attacks was that they used up a great deal of energy, so Ranma was going to have to be as precise as possible when using them.

The blades swung down at him again, he was barely able to jump out of the way before they decapitated him. He leapt up onto a crate, using it to aid a large jump that put him behind the strange creature. Before it could spin around and face him, he kicked it in the head, hard, sending it sprawling into a corner full of boxes.

The blow hadn't even fazed it. As soon as it had made impact it was up again, leaping towards Ranma with a deafening hiss. He once again barely got out of the way, flipping backwards to avoid the blade that would have easily cleaved him in half.

It was then that he realised he was fighting for his life. It was him or that thing, which had shown not the slightest hint of hesitation in taking Ranma's life. He'd been in to-the-death' battles before, but they had never ended that way and the atmosphere was a lot different. He had never actually felt like he'd been fighting for his life before, he'd never felt truly threatened. But now, that had changed. This _thing_ was as fast, if not faster than Ranma was. It hadn't seemed to tire at all, even though it had been the one who was mostly on the offensive.

Ranma realised that it was now or never. He'd been playing with this beast from the start, but now it was time to get serious. As it turned around quickly, noticing his new position, Ranma began to focus his energy. Preferably, he could take it out with one hit.

He stood still in preparation as it plodded towards him slowly, blades help up at the ready. Black eyes were fixed intently on Ranma, it was probably preparing to strike the deathblow as well.

While the fight had been taking place Akane had been slowly working at the knots. She'd had a lot of experience with escaping from being tied up, thanks to the numerous times she'd been kidnapped. The ropes were now much looser and she knew that it would only be moments until she was free again, so she could help Ranma and get them out of this mess.

As the blades shot down, Ranma again leapt up and backwards out of the way. He wrapped his arms around two chains and brought them out in front of his chest, holding himself there securely. While the creature turned to see where its opponent had jumped to, Ranma finished preparing for his final shot. He was going to pour all of his energy into this. It _had_ to work.

Cupping his hands, he threw them forwards, extending out towards the beast on the floor. Ki formed in the palm of his hands, a bright light that blinded the creature, forcing it to raise a normal hand to shield its eyes. It barely had enough time to hear Ranma's yell of "Mouko Takabisha!" before the gathered energy shot out towards it at an incomprehensible speed, throwing the startled creature backwards into a another large pile of crates with a loud crash.

At that exact moment Akane broke free of her binds. Quickly shaking the ropes from around her wrists and ankles, she stood up and took in the battle scene. Ranma had definitely scored a KO. She looked at the fallen body, lying face-up in between herself and Ranma, and wondered if it was even breathing. Although it was a little hard to tell from this distance, it didn't look like it.

She looked up over to her fiancé who was just jumping down to the ground, his eyes fixed on the creature's body, probably trying to see the same as she had. Not even the smallest of movements' came from the creature, which wasn't really surprising considering the strength of the attack Ranma had just used against it. What _was_ surprising was that it hadn't been disintegrated by it entirely.

"Ranma!" Akane cried, successfully gaining his attention. Their eyes met and she couldn't help but break out into a smile. She quickly made her way towards him, walking around the dead body that lay in her path.

Ranma felt numb. He had just killed... _again_. He opened his hands and stared down at his palms, at the invisible blood that seemed to cover them. It had been life or death, hadn't it? He really hadn't had a choice of what to do, since the beast had made it more than clear its intentions. And anyway, if he'd only knocked the thing unconscious then it just would've risen again, try to kill him and spill who knows how much blood on its way. He took his gaze from his hands and raised it to Akane, who was stepping towards him with a beaming smile that managed to completely distract him from his previous thoughts and turn them warm and fuzzy. As he stared at her, their eyes locked and he felt his heart skip a beat. It was then that he noticed the movement behind her. Akane walked on obliviously, not realising the impending danger from the seemingly dead creature.

Ranma didn't even have time to yell out a warning as it suddenly lurched upwards, leaning up on one of its normal elbows as a bladed arm shot out towards Akane's back. She had no idea what hit her until pain exploded in her chest as the steel protruded through it.

Ranma stared at the scene in horror, everything seemingly going in slow motion. He watched as Akane's smile faded, her eyes growing wide with shock. Slowly she lowered her gaze down to the steel extending from her chest, the ripped fabric of her shirt and her blood that was now quickly flowing from the wound. That moment, when the realisation of what had just happened hit them both, seemed to go on forever. Akane stood impaled, staring into Ranma's deep blue eyes that mirrored the same expression as hers. Horror.

Suddenly, time seemed to speed up again. The creature croaked out its last, dying breath and collapsed to the ground; the blade slipping from Akane's back and dropping noisily on the ground, staining it with red. In that same moment Akane began to fall forwards, her eyes never leaving Ranma's.

"AKANE!" He screamed, charging forward to catch her in his arms before she hit the ground. He fell down to his knees cradling his fiancé safely against his chest, holding on to her closer than he'd ever dared to before. Her grip was loose around his neck and he could feel her whole body shaking as she pressed against him. Ranma slowly pulled her away from him to rest on his lap, supporting her back with his arm. Full of dread, he looked down at her chest to survey the damage. You didn't need to be a doctor to tell that the wound was fatal; blood spewed from it as if from a tap. And from the warm wetness he felt on his arm it was clear that the entrance wound was doing the same.

Ranma tore his eyes away from the blood to look up to her eyes; they were filled with shock and fear. The very sight of them broke Ranma's heart, he felt hot tears of pain and frustration build up in the back of his eyes. This couldn't be happening. It had to be a nightmare. He'd had nightmares similar to this since the phoenix mountain scare, any moment now he'd wake up in his futon, go and check on Akane in her bed as he always did when he had such nightmares and everything would be all right. But you weren't supposed to feel pain in nightmares and the pain that Ranma was feeling right now in his heart was too great to be brushed aside. This was real. Akane was dying in his arms.

"Ranma..." She said quietly, her voice strained with the pain. Her fingers tightened suddenly around his arm, clenching the material of his sleeve tightly. His eyes were locked with hers, showing as much fear as she was sure hers did. "I'm-I'm scared..."

"Shh. It's all right, you're going to be okay," He assured her, trying to keep his voice from breaking. It was hard to assure someone of something that you're not even certain of for yourself, but Ranma was trying to be strong both for himself and for Akane. She coughed violently and a trickle of blood ran from her mouth along her cheek. Ranma stared down at her in that same mute horror, feeling his dread grow and grow as the warmth seeped out of her body along with her blood.

She closed her eyes and shivered, letting go of her tight grip on his sleeve, and Ranma wondered in panic if this was the end. "Akane... Akane!" He cried, shaking her gently. She slowly opened her eyes, that small movement was now a hard task for her.

"Ranma..." She whispered hoarsely, grabbing his sleeve again and looking up into his eyes with a great intensity. There was something that she'd put off telling Ranma for so long now, and she wasn't about to die until she had done it. It hurt to move her lips, it hurt to breathe, but just a few more moments and she knew that it'd be too late. Gathering her last remaining strength, she spoke the words that she'd been wanting to for so long but had never had the courage to do so. It was unfair that she had to be dying to do it. "I love you..." She whispered with her final breath, before her eyes closed and her body grew still, her arms falling limp at her sides.

"No... no, Akane! Akane wake up! Don't go Akane! I love you too... Akane! Please! No..."

Ranma's fiancé had just died in his arms, and his whole world along with her. He shook her continuously, refusing to accept it. Her pale face, the puddle of blood that surrounded them both. He didn't believe it. She couldn't be dead, she just couldn't. Memories of Jusendo flooded his mind, how he had held her still form in his arms and thought that it had been the end for them, that he would never see her move again. But she had came back to him, had calmed his nerves and steadied his rapid heartbeat with the simple touch of her hand. Oh god, why wasn't she doing that again? He broke down into sobs, the tears that he had been holding back finally breaking free.

He fell forward, head resting on her stomach, his arms still cradling her body against him. She was dead; she'd died without finding out how much he loved her, how beautiful he thought she was and how much he really _had_ wanted to marry her on that day. They'd never even had a chance together. Fate had always got in the way. He wished that things could've been different...

Ranma's world turned black as the despair consumed him and he felt that he could keep his eyes open no longer.

A/N: Um wow that turned out much longer than I planned it to... Anywho! Please tell me what you think. I'm very new to this so any comments/criticism at all would be great! ^_^


	2. Chapter One

**Time and Again  
**  
_Chapter 1_

A/N: I'd like to thank you for the nice reviews, although I wonder if they're going to be as nice after you read this... anyway! Ahem, I hope this chapter answers some of the questions and comments I received. Oh yeah! And I don't own any of the Ranma characters, forgot to mention that on the prologue. Oops!

Ranma's whole world comprised only of darkness. He neither felt nor saw a thing; all of his senses had long since fled him. But it wasn't as if he had passed out as he was still acutely aware that he existed, although he was not sure why or how. It seemed as though he was drifting through an endless void of black nothingness, blissfully unaware of the burden of reality.

He had fallen into this blackness with the overwhelming wish that circumstances could've been different, that he could have the chance to make things right with Akane. He hadn't had time to ponder on the outcome of that last, seemingly hopeless wish, but if he had he'd never have guessed that it would be granted. Somehow, the despair and anguish he had suffered reached out to a place beyond human comprehension and was looked upon sympathetically. Ranma would get his wish; things certainly would be different. However it was not guaranteed that they would be changed for the best; wishes follow the principal of yin and yang, for every good happening there must be bad. So Ranma's wish would come with a price. And what exactly that price was, he would soon find out...

He woke to the sound of a crackling fire, painfully aware that he was lying on a hard, pointy surface that jagged up into his back even through the warm sleeping bag he found himself to be wrapped in. Sitting up slowly he attempted to observe his surroundings through his post-sleep grogginess, noticing that he was in a forest clearing the location of which he had no idea. The fire he had heard as he woke burnt weakly a little way away from him, the dwindling flames giving way to become glowing embers that tried in vain to light the adjacent area. Although the firelight was dying, the moon was full, illuminating the large clearing enough for Ranma to get a better look at his surroundings.

Two sleeping bags similar to his lay on opposite sides of the fire, one was not occupied while the other definitely was. He could tell this because it rose and fell rhythmically, as if breathing. A mess of black hair was all that was visible of the occupant since he or she was turned the other way. Suddenly the mystery person mumbled in their sleep and turned towards him and Ranma was more than shocked when he realised who it was.

'Ryoga?' He wondered, 'Just what the heck is he doing here? And where _is_ here anyway?' Ranma's confusion was mounting by the second. Hadn't he just been in that warehouse in Nerima where _it_ had happened? Then why was he suddenly in the middle of a clearing in a forest that certainly didn't belong in Nerima, let alone the whole of Tokyo. There was only one explanation that his mind could offer to him and Ranma latched onto it as if it were a lifeboat saving him from drowning in a sea of despair. The tragedy that had happened seemingly moments ago must have been a nightmare. He had just woken up, so to him there was absolutely no doubt that he had just been asleep and dreaming. The fact that he had no idea how he'd got here escaped him entirely, he was too relieved to notice.

He was about to charge over there and wake the sleeping boy up to confirm his hopes when a rustling in the bushes distracted him. Within a moment he had leapt to his feet and relaxed into a ready stance, facing the bushes and ready to meet the threat head on. It hadn't occurred to him that it could be the owner of the empty sleeping bag.

Genma walked into the clearing slowly, a hefty bundle of twigs and small branches cradled in his arms. As he walked Ranma couldn't help but notice that his father was favouring his left leg ever so slightly, meaning that he had somehow injured the right. As he approached the fire his eyes were downcast, his gaze not rising to meet his son's but Ranma was sure his father knew of his presence. Genma knelt down beside the weakening fire and distributed the wood on and around it, then began raking the embers with a twig. Finally, he spoke softly.

"Go back to sleep Ranma, we have a hard day ahead of us."

"Pop" Ranma questioned, perturbed by his father's abnormal behaviour. There was definitely something drastically different about his old man. As he sat there hunched over the fire he looked like a broken man. His manner did not hold the usual arrogance and pride that Genma Saotome, panda or not, usually radiated. Instead he looked weak and frail, even... pathetic.

"Pop" Ranma asked again, approaching his father and sitting down across from him. "What's going on" He paused to look around the clearing. "Where am I"

"What do you mean 'Where am I?' You are in the same place where you laid down to sleep last night, where else" He responded solemnly, not at all the condescending tone that would usually fill his voice.

Ranma frowned, feeling as if his father was playing games with him. But he couldn't bring himself to snap an angry reply back, since his old man's subdued mood greatly disturbed him. He was surprised to find himself feeling slightly concerned for the old fool. "What's wrong" He asked hesitantly.

"You should know that by now, boy." Genma paused in what he was doing and smirked, but it was not filled with mirth as a smirk should be, instead it seemed pained and sad. He had never seen his father display raw emotions so openly before, if at all. The sight caused Ranma to gasp in shock and pinch himself to make sure that he wasn't _still_ dreaming.

Finally Genma's efforts in replenishing the fire paid off, the remaining flames now taking to the new wood. Where there had been shadows before, the light from the thriving fire now chased them away. Immediately the clearing in which they sat felt a lot warmer and friendlier, though Ranma couldn't say the same for his father's attitude.

Genma sat back on his behind and rubbed his hands together in front of the fire, pursing his lips and shuddering as the sudden warmth hit him. He let out a long sigh before he began to speak.

"We are going back to Japan tomorrow, Ranma" He said"I wasn't going to tell you until tomorrow, but now that you seem to be wide awake..." He trailed off, his gaze lost in the orange flames.

'Going back to Japan tomorrow?' Ranma rolled the sentence over in his mind. He was sure he had heard his father speak it at some other time and he couldn't shake off the feeling that he'd been in this exact place before, having exactly the same conversation with his father, minus the old man's abnormal behaviour of course.

"I feel I have trained you to the best of my abilities, considering the circumstances..." He said, leaving Ranma to wonder just what he meant by 'circumstances'. "Now it is time that we finally head to the Tendos. I sent a letter yesterday, it should be arriving there tomorrow."

Ranma suddenly knew why this felt very familiar. He _had_ lived this moment before. It was the night before he'd left China and swam across the Sea to meet Akane and her family. He had woken up in the middle of the night in this same clearing and being unable to return to sleep, had joined his father beside the campfire. Genma had told him that they would be leaving for Japan the next day for 'special training'. Ranma, jumping at any chance to better himself in the art, had believed his old man and consented to going _before_ trying to find a cure. He was glad now that Genma hadn't told him the real reason, for he might not have met Akane in the first place.

But what exactly _was_ going on? Why was he in the same place he'd been in 2 years ago in near enough identical circumstances? It was as if he'd gone back in time, but that wasn't possible was it? Oh wait... yes it was, the incident with the Nanban Mirror resurfaced itself in Ranma's mind. So maybe, somehow, he _had_ been put back in time. Maybe that second chance he so desperately hoped for _had_ been granted. He raised his gaze to the star-filled sky. 'Maybe somebody up there likes me...'

"Tomorrow we head to the Tendos..." Genma repeated suddenly, interrupting Ranma's thoughts. "Yes, tomorrow we head to the Tendos to finally avenge your mother's murder..."

A/N: That chapter was pretty short... well I just wanted to end it on a cliffhanger you see Mwaha. But the next chapter is nearly done, and should be up very shortly. Um my story is getting pretty dark eh? I promise it will get happier! You're probably confused and/or have lots of questions... well don't worry, all will be explained.

Oh yeah! As always, any CC are welcome.


	3. Chapter Two

A/N: Wow has it really been that long since I started this story? Eek. Time goes so fast. But anyway! I had chapter 2 all ready to post then somehow managed to lose it… at which point writer's block took the opportunity to strike. A 2 year writer's block to boot! Well, I've decided to continue this story and I have it (mostly) planned out. And I know I promised it'd get happier but well… let's just say it's gonna get a _lot_ darker before it gets happier. Sorry! Oh and I don't think there'll be anymore 2 year breaks between chapters ; Well, hope you enjoy it!

**Time And Again**

Chapter 2

He loved being outside at this time of the morning just as the sun was rising and the air was crisp and cool. While the other inhabitants of Nerima were still snuggled into their warm beds, Tanaka Akeno, 5 years a postman, was at his liveliest and doing what he loved best. His job may not have seemed to be the most thrilling to others, but Akeno couldn't be happier. The pay was decent and he was able to finish by 9am and have the rest of the day to himself, what more could he ask for?

He hummed a soft melody as he delivered letter after letter, pausing only to regard the bright clear sky; full of promise of a beautiful day to come. He continued on his merry way until there were only a few letters in the bottom of his bag and the sun had fully risen, the hazy rays bathing Nerima in a warm orange glow. He delivered the last of his letters and was about to head back when he noticed the tattered postcard in the very bottom of the bag. After a chuckle at the cute panda picture on the front, he examined the addressee and felt a sudden chill run through his body. He glanced to his right where, at the end of the road, high stone walls surrounded what he knew to be the Tendo house and dojo. It was strange, he mused, even on this beautiful morning the Tendo house still seemed to be so dark and gloomy…

Akeno studied the scratchy writing again to make sure he hadn't been mistaken, but sure enough, this was a postcard addressed to Soun Tendo. He almost shuddered at the thought of the man. He'd very rarely had to deliver any post to the Tendos, since they simply did not get much; an odd letter every month or so, but that was about it. So it wasn't often that Akeno had to approach the Tendo household and he was very thankful for it too.

He'd heard the rumours about that family; everyone had. Apparently the father had gone crazy for who knows what reason and refused to ever leave the house. Not many people had even seen him, but those who had told of a terrifying man more akin to a demon than a human who always had a crazed, distant look in his eyes. Then there were his daughters. Rumour had it that the middle sister had run away, unable to put up with the eccentricities of her father and the eldest was an empty shell of a woman, deathly pale and only leaving the house to buy groceries or for her quite frequent visits to the doctor, never uttering so much as a word to anyone. Of course, the town gossips had tried to get the doctor to reveal the happenings of their meetings, but he had always plainly refused.

And of course, who hadn't heard about the strange youngest daughter? She attended Furinkan High but not much was known about her, as she rarely spoke and seemed to be in a world completely of her own. She hadn't a friend, and severely hurt anyone who dared to cross her as her skills in martial arts were more than just mediocre. Indeed they were a family of oddballs and the locals avoided them at all costs, it wasn't their business anyway right? However, that didn't mean they didn't like to talk about them.

Akeno approached the gates slowly, suppressing the urge to pretend the postcard had never existed and return back to the safety of his home. But he had a job to do, and it wasn't like he had to see any of the family… simply pop it in the letterbox and he was home free.

No such luck. As he was about to push the postcard in, the door opened and out stepped the unmistakable and intimidating form of a man. As Akeno stood before the tall man desperately trying to quell his shaking legs, he suddenly felt very small and vulnerable. Soun Tendo was just as the rumours had said; tall, muscled, long black hair and moustache a stark contrast against his pale skin and a strange unnerving look in those beady black eyes. Said eyes were now fixed on the postman intently, seemingly scrutinising every inch of him.

Akeno, unable to bear the excruciating silence any longer, thrust the postcard out to the Tendo patriarch and stuttered, "Y-Your post, sir!"

Soun took it from his fingers gently and scanned the messy writing and when he was done, a large, malicious looking grin spread over his features. He thanked the postman once then retreated back into his house and only when the door had shut and Akeno was left outside alone did his brain process what had just happened. Something that made Soun Tendo grin like _that_ did not sit well with him at all. He thought back to the contents of the postcard's message and wished that he had read it…

"Akane!"

"Kasumi!"

Sitting cross-legged between the open Shoji, Soun looked out to the garden and Koi pond, the postcard clutched tightly between his calloused fingers. As he sat waiting for his two daughters to join him he read the message over and over again, hardly believing what he was seeing. After all these years Saotome would finally be returning and Soun could hardly wait. As he heard his two daughters enter the room behind him, he stood and turned to them, a small smile on his face.

Kasumi, awoken by her father's shout, stared curiously at his cheerful disposition. It wasn't often her father was happy and she wondered what could have made him so. Akane, face emotionless, watched as her father lifted a postcard with a panda on the front and read the message to them.

"_Soun. Bringing Ranma from China. Be Prepared. Genma."_

Silence remained in the large room as the two girls mulled over these words; wondering at their significance. Neither had heard of 'Genma' before, and so were hard pressed to figure out what their father was trying to tell them.

Then, he said softly, "Yes, Genma… _Saotome _Genma."

A surprised yelp escaped Kasumi's lips as she heard that name, bringing her delicate fingers up to cover them. Turning to her sister she noticed the younger girl's shock; Akane's eyes were wide and her lips parted slightly, her gaze locked with her father's. The three occupants of the room knew very well now what this meant and all fell into a thoughtful silence. Akane continued to stare at her father for a few moments more, before turning her eyes to look at the floor, her brow furrowed in thought.

"Akane, you will not be going to school today," Soun said sternly and at Akane's nod, he instructed. "Go to the Dojo, I will join you shortly."

Akane hurried off to do as her father said, but paused on her way as she saw the large frame that hung on the wall. The photograph inside had both comforted and saddened her to no end, the image a constant reminder of what she had lost. Her fingers traced the beautiful smiling face of a woman surrounded by her family, looking as if nothing in the world could go wrong; a portrait of a happier time that could have been had fate not dealt them a devastating hand. How dare someone think they had the right to destroy that happiness? Akane bit her lip, her fists clenching at her sides, the sudden anger swelling inside of her almost too much to take.

She turned, unable to look at the happy image any longer, and started towards the Dojo. 'Don't worry Mother, I won't fail you...'

As was said before, it was an incredibly beautiful morning and even the grumpiest of people couldn't help but feel their spirits lifted due to the pleasant weather. In their happiness no one seemed to notice the three travellers, slowly but surely making their way through the streets of Nerima. The sunny cheer had obviously not affected them as all three held serious, sullen expressions. One of these travellers, a certain pig-tailed boy, was struggling to keep himself from collapsing with exhaustion. Exhausted not because of the long journey, but from the conflicting thoughts filling his head. The night before, after his father had made that shocking revelation, he'd demanded answers from Ryouga.

_"Yes, tomorrow we head to the Tendos to finally avenge your mother's murder..." Genma suddenly lifted his gaze to meet Ranma's, grinning madly. The light from the fire danced inside of eyes and created shadows under the creases of his skin; the man looked more terrifying than any demon Ranma had ever seen. Ranma could only stare stupidly at the expression on his father's face._

_Murder? His mother? Tendos? Avenge? What? To say Ranma's thoughts were muddled after what his father had just said would be a great understatement. After a few moments of trying to follow the implications of those words, he gave up and through the noise in his head, managed to ask "What?" intelligently._

_Genma stood; a painful and slow task for the older man, and turned away from his bewildered son. "Get to sleep, Ranma." He said softly, then laid down in his sleeping bag and was snoring within moments._

'_What kind of answer is that?' Ranma thought furiously as he watched the mound of material slowly rise and fall. For a moment, he decided to go and give the old oaf a good kick but that thought was soon pushed aside when he remembered the crazed grin his father had shown him just moments before. _

_So instead he'd given the lost boy a rude awakening and the two were now sitting by the fire. Ryouga would've refused to get up had he not saw the deathly serious expression on his companion's face, but had none-the-less given the other boy a hard punch on the head for waking him up so roughly; he didn't particularly like being kicked in the ribs._

"_Ryouga… is my mother dead?" Ranma, never one for beating around the bush, decided to get straight to the point. _

_Ryouga stared at his friend as if he was dancing the Macarena in a tutu and yelling "I'm a hippie! I'm a hippie!", but the desperation and pleading in the pigtailed boy's eyes brushed away any doubt that Ranma was being entirely honest. "Yes…" He nodded, "She's been dead for 14 years now Ranma, don't you remember?" He said it slowly as if talking to a very young child. _

"_B-But how?"_

"_Why the hell are you asking this Ranma? It better not be a trick!" He yelled, fangs exposed. Although Ryouga seriously doubted he would joke about something like this, he couldn't believe that this was Ranma sitting in front of him, looking so… desperate and pathetic._

_Looking down and twiddling his thumbs in his lap, Ranma pondered whether or not to reveal everything to the other boy; would he even believe him? Oh well, what did he have to lose? So he began from the start; his engagement to Akane and their numerous antics in the 'other' future, her untimely death -at this point, much to Ryouga's astonishment, he had nearly shed tears- and the wish that had changed so much and put him here in this clearing; a couple of years in the past. At the end of his little tale, Ryouga was staring at him with that 'You're crazy!' expression again. So, he'd led him a little away from the clearing, not wanting to wake his father, and had demonstrated the Hiryu Shoten Ha and Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken. Ryouga was now not only amazed at the prospect of Ranma time travelling, but also at the amount of power he had attained._

_They returned to the clearing in silence and sat down again at the fire, Ranma wincing slightly. He'd found out that, though he still knew how to perform all of his techniques, they were quite a struggle for his 16-year-old body that had lost out on two years of training._

"_Do you believe me now?" He asked Ryouga, who could only nod dumbly in response. "So… what happened to my mother?"_

"_She was murdered, Ranma…" The other boy replied softly, his eyes downcast._

_He knew that already, his father had said she'd been murdered but… "By who?"_

_How could be answer that? After Ranma had sat there, nearly in tears, describing how, after her death, he'd realised how much he was in love with the Tendo girl and how it had torn him apart when she'd died in his arms. And now he had to tell him that it was her father? He bit his lip, wondering how to approach this…and decided to say it straight. Ranma would find out eventually, anyway._

"_Soun Tendo." He stated, his eyes now locked with Ranma's, filled with sorrow and sympathy._

_It was Ranma's turn to look sceptical. He thought of the Soun Tendo of the old future; a kind and caring man who, although an idiot at times, was remarkably protective of his daughters. It was hard to even imagine the sensitive man being able to murder a fly, let alone his mother. But then, this wasn't the Soun Tendo of his old future, was it?_

"_Wh… Why did he?" He was not ashamed of the tremble in his voice. Although Ranma despised feeling and especially appearing to be weak, after the events and shocks of the night, it was all he could do to keep from breaking down right then and there._

"_I don't know," Ryouga replied, ". Genma has never told me. He just calls him the psychotic, honourless bastard…" He paused for a moment. "And he crippled your father too! He can hardly use his right leg now."_

_After that Ranma had become lost in his thoughts and unreachable, so Ryouga had gone back to sleep. And after a couple of hours of pondering his current situation, tiredness overcame Ranma and he too succumbed to the enticing lure of sleep. _

So now here they were in Nerima, and a lot faster than the first time Ranma had made this journey. Due to the condition of Genma's leg, they'd taken a flight from China instead of swimming, not that Ranma was complaining. He was exhausted and doubted that even he would make it across the sea.

And now, the only thing that kept him going, as unrealistic as it may be, was the hope that all he'd found out wasn't true.

Led by Genma, they continued their gloomy trek through the bustling streets of Nerima until they ended up at the old Saotome house, not at the Tendo Dojo as Ranma had expected. Genma had decided it'd be best if they stopped before heading to the Tendo's and Ranma was glad for the time to rest..

The house was not at all how he'd remembered it. From the wild and overgrown garden and boarded up windows it was not hard to tell that this house had not been lived in for quite some time. Inside was just as bad; much like a fresh layer of slow, a thick covering of dust hid every inch of floor and furniture. As soon as they entered an assortment of memories surfaced in Ranma's mind; memories of the short time he'd shared with his mother, and he suddenly felt very cheated. He'd wished for a second chance with Akane, but he'd never expected _this_ cruel, warped reality. Why was it that fate always seemed to be laughing at him?

_Having had too much to think about since the night before, Ranma realised that he had forgotten about his curse. Unable to quell the sense of dread that fell over him, he made his way up the stairs and to the bathroom. If his world had been this screwed up so far, then what horror would he be cursed to turn into now? Though he wouldn't admit it, there were a lot worse things to turn into than a girl. What if he was now like Ryouga? Or worse, Pantyhose Tarou? He shuddered at the thought. But, after splashing cold water onto his face, he was relieved to see the buxom redhead staring back at him. Relief at being cursed to turn into a girl? Ha! That was a first. He chuckled slightly Well, at least the curses were still normal; a small, but welcomed relief._

After changing back to a guy, he left the bathroom and headed downstairs but stopped suddenly when he noticed the looming figure of his father before him. The older man was standing in the doorway to what Ranma recalled to be his mother and father's room, and seemed to be oblivious to his presence. Curious as to what could have captured Genma's attention so completely, he looked over his shoulder. Albeit very dusty and dull, the room appeared perfectly normal. For a moment he stared, along with his father, trying to discern what was so interesting.

"Pop?"

Genma barely heard his son's voice; the images rushing through his head far overpowering anything around him. He remembered the rain. The screams. Running faster than he ever had in all his life. But he was too late… And then the blood… So much blood. Why, after all these years, could he still hear those deafening screams and still see the dark crimson stains on the bedcovers? He remembered that night so vividly it could've been just a day ago. Forcing his thoughts to the present, he turned to his young son and couldn't help but feel proud. He knew that Nodoka would be too; he had certainly grown to be a man among men. And that was why he'd decided to return to Nerima now; Ranma was definitely ready.

But, he mused, since the night before, he'd noticed that Ranma had not been himself, the boy was unusually quiet and looked somewhat ill. But he attributed that down to the stress of their current circumstances and knew the boy would recover once they'd accomplished what they'd come for.

"Don't worry, Ranma," He said softly, eyes filled with emotion, "It will all be over soon and your mother's soul will finally be put to rest. We can't stop now, can we son?"

Ranma, totally taken aback by his new father's attitude, numbly shook his head no. And before he could blink the older man had taken him into a tight hug, holding his son as if he were incredibly precious to him. This was nothing like the 'Cradle From Hell' his previous father had used against him, it felt… pleasant.

"I'm sorry to have put this on you…" He whispered, "I would take this duty myself, but as you know, I am unable to do that now. You are my and Nodoka's last hope, Ranma. We can't give up now… I swear by the Saotome name, we will make that bastard pay."

The older man slowly made his way downstairs, leaving an astonished son in his wake. Ranma could only wonder; in this wacky world where everything was different, what surprise would be around the next corner?

_Kinda Long A/N: _

Oh, no way! Genma is **_not_** OOC/sarcasm

First I wanna apologize for any mistakes I've made, I haven't watched or read Ranma in a long time so I've forgotten _some _stuff… but I plan to watch/read it again very soon! Second…Well I feel like it's progressing quite slowly… sweat drop It must be bad when the author notices that. But! The next chapter will be full of action, I promise. I also think I need to add more dialogue…uhm, I'm reviewing myself . ? Anyway! Next time, the Tendos and Saotomes meet. cue loud, dramatic music Oh my!

All CC welcomed!


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